Pike County Man Sentenced To Prison For Possession Of A Sawed-Off Shotgun

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Walter Valdivia, Jr., age 38, of Matamoras, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on June 21, 2021, to 33 months' imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, for possession of a shotgun with a barrel length of less than 18 inches.

According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Valdivia was encountered by law enforcement officers when they served a search warrant in Matamoras, Pennsylvania on April 29, 2020, in an unrelated investigation. Valdivia was sitting on a couch in the living room of the residence and reached behind the couch. Agents located a sawed-off shotgun and a bag that contained shotgun shells behind the couch.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in cooperation with the Pike County (Pennsylvania) Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd K. Hinkley prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department's renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney's Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

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